'Bathers at Asnières' was the first large-scale painting by the 24-year old French artist Georges Seurat. It shows a group of factory workers relaxing by the River Seine at Asnières, a popular resort outside Paris. In the background, the factories on the outskirts of the city are a reminder that this free time is brief, and that the men will soon be back at work.
Seurat had a rigorous artistic training. He trained at the École des Beaux-Arts, a famous art school in Paris. But 'The Bathers', his first major painting, was far from traditional. Paintings of this great size were usually of dramatic scenes featuring famous figures from history or the Bible, not ordinary working-class people.
He was also in the process of inventing a new painting technique, based on modern scientific experiments with colour. Though his method was in the early stages of development when he painted 'The Bathers', it can still be seen in the painting.
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